Grease, our major production for 2023.

From Thursday 20th to the 22nd of July over 1000 people from across Ōtautahi had the incredible opportunity to watch Te Aratai’s first musical, “GREASE.” The cast practised for the performance for over 4 months and was so very proud of the product that came with such hard work. The musical featured songs such as: Hopelessly Devoted to You sung by the incredible Melody Donnelly as Sandy D, as well as a myriad of other incredibly performed songs from both the cast and band.

The history of performing arts at Te Aratai College has been rich with bi-annual musicals performed from the school's conception at Linwood High School up until the last full-school musical on the Linwood College site “Little Shop of Horrors'' which many of the cast remember fondly. As many of the cast in Grease have starred in past musicals, the time for the final curtain call on closing night was an extremely emotional event. Te Aratai had shown Otautahi what we’re capable of when we work towards a collective goal and what the school has to offer for new and present students interested in performing arts. Grease marked the first musical for Te Puna - Te Aratai’s auditorium which was used to its full extent and excelled in hosting both the show and the packed audiences each night through both their sitting (in the 400 seats) and the THREE standing ovations.

As a year 13 myself, I am beyond proud of the cast & chorus that I worked beside in my role: Danny Zuko, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a long tradition of performances as well as kick-start a new era of Linwood College/Te Aratai’s performing arts culture. From here Te Aratai can only go above and beyond as well as continue to captivate audiences with their dedication and power on stage.